A leaked recording of the final moments of the plane which crashed and wiped out the South American soccer team and many others shows that the plane had just run out of fuel. Its final moments illustrate the chaos and panic in the cockpit and controllers as the pilot was told he had to wait because another plane with mechanical failure had priority. That wait was an additional 7 minutes. Without that delay, he could have landed safely. The surviving flight attendant confirms the plane ran out of fuel.
But the question that needs answering quickly is: how on earth did a qualified pilot, a qualified co-pilot and an airline permit an almost fully-loaded aircraft to fly a route of 1,608 nautical miles when the maximum range of that aircraft was just 1,600 miles? Additionally, aircraft routinely have to make route adjustments due to wind or bad weather, making the decision surely even more idiotic. Even if there was a fuel leak, surely that is utter madness? I always understood that airlines by law must carry enough fuel to get a plane safely to an alternate airport.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...ecoense-brazil